Switching out Roosters....

Hi all, I'm fairly new at this whole chicken flock thing and I'm looking to replace my rooster. The silver Wyandotte Roo I have now is one I have had since I started my flock. He is large and super aggressive to both the chickens and humans. Not the greatest when you have a little kid. Although we have been dealing with him, I now have the chance to replace him with a younger, smaller Easter egger Roo, who is supposedly much friendlier. I will "dispose of" the other Roo, he is not the type to live in harmony with another male, but I'm wondering if my girls will take to this new, younger man or if they will beat the crap out of him. Some of my girls are pretty big and they are used to a big aggressive Roo. Some of them on the other hand, are totally afraid of the Roo I have now and would appreciate a less aggressive boy. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

How young is he? If he is not fully mature, he might get picked on and find himself at the bottom of the pecking order until he realizes he is " the big GUY". Or he could assume his place at the head of the flock if he is a confident young guy.

Remember! Before you introduce him to your flock, QUARANTINE him so you make sure he is not transporting any illness and contaminating your flock. For at least a week but two would be better.

How young is he? If he is not fully mature, he might get picked on and find himself at the bottom of the pecking order until he realizes he is " the big GUY". Or he could assume his place at the head of the flock if he is a confident young guy.

Remember! Before you introduce him to your flock, QUARANTINE him so you make sure he is not transporting any illness and contaminating your flock. For at least a week but two would be better.

He's coming from another small backyard flock from people I trust who say he's never had anything. Mites / lice / worms, etc... He's about 7 months and coming into a flock of year and a half year old ladies. I hope he can handle them. There's a couple who take no crap from anyone, even my big Roo that I have now. He's so obnoxious I always find myself rooting for the girls, lol! I was planning on keeping him separate for at least a week, if not more.

Removing a rooster and adding one will upset the flock dynamics. After a couple weeks of quarantine you can introduce your new guy by placing him behind a protective barrier of some sort. This will allow you to asses the situation and allow the hens to check out the new guy in the flock. And during quarantine you can deworm your bird and treat him for external parasites.

You can use a large dog carrier if your coop is too small for a temporary pen. After a few days you can allow him to mingle with the hens and see what happens.

Since your new guy is young-at 7 months he's still a teenager, and will have to adjust to be the only rooster. He may go through a stage of clumsy breeding until he learns how to get the job done.

And as always watch any rooster around small children. Roosters can be charming when they are young, but will mature and will want to protect the flock.